This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane
In this episode, we’ll push Docker Compose beyond the basics and explore advanced use cases for real-world projects.
🔹 Topics Covered:
- Scaling Services
- Using
docker-compose up --scale
to run multiple instances of a service. - Load balancing between containers.
- Multiple Environment Files
- Managing
.env.dev
,.env.prod
,.env.staging
for different setups. - Switching environments easily with overrides.
- Compose Override Files
- Using
docker-compose.override.yml
for local development tweaks. - Keeping production and dev configs clean.
- Networking in Compose
- Custom networks for microservices.
- Communication across multiple Compose projects.
- Best Practices
- Avoid hardcoding values → use env variables.
- Keep secrets outside Compose files.
🔹 Hands-On Example:
- Create a
docker-compose.yml
for a Node.js + Redis app. - Scale Redis instances and see load balancing in action.
- Use different
.env
files for dev and prod.
🔹 Quick Commands:
# Scale a service
docker-compose up --scale web=3
# Use a specific env file
docker-compose --env-file .env.prod up
# Run with override
docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane

Yash Sonawane | Sciencx (2025-09-04T04:00:00+00:00) Episode 13: Docker Compose Advanced (Scaling & Multi-Env Setup). Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/09/04/episode-13-docker-compose-advanced-scaling-multi-env-setup/
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